As the world has become more environmentally conscious, it has become increasingly apparent that there is a need for pollution remedial compositions and treatment methods that may be utilized in the clean-up of soil, sand, water, fly ash and other mediums which may contain hazardous materials. Such hazardous materials may include various pollutants like hydrocarbons, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides and animal waste. Many of these pollutants cannot be simply buried or dumped without presenting a significant health threat to humans and wildlife. These pollutants may often break down or leach out of the soil, landfills or other mediums in which they have been deposited and into the ground water thus contaminating drinking water and endangering fish and other wildlife many miles away from the actual dump site.
Hydrocarbons including petroleum-derived motor fuels, lubricants, and solvents are indispensable in the modern world. Unfortunately, hydrocarbon waste materials are quite common and present a significant health risk if disposed of improperly. One particularly dangerous category of these pollutants is that of chlorinated hydrocarbons that have been used in degreasers, paint thinners and dry cleaning solvents. Another form of chlorinated hydrocarbon is that of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) commonly used to insulate electrical equipment such as transformers and capacitors. Chlorinated hydrocarbons are particularly dangerous when burned and may form byproducts including dioxin, phosgene and hydrochloric acid.
Common heavy metal pollutants include lead, cadmium, chromium and mercury. Heavy metals are naturally occurring materials, but are often concentrated to highly toxic levels by various industrial activities such as mining, smelting and refining. These metals are also commonly found in products like batteries, circuit boards, and other electronic devices. It is not possible to further degrade basic elements such as these. Heavy metals are particularly hazardous under conditions where these pollutants may be acted upon by water, especially acid rain, and leached from the soil and into a water table. Accordingly, it would be desirable to remediate these materials by chemically binding to them in such a way as to render them essentially non-bioavailable, non-mobile, and far less susceptible to leaching from soil.
Pesticides and herbicides are useful in the production of food crops and the control of insect populations, but these pollutants degrade quite slowly and may also be toxic to humans and wildlife. Similarly, modern animal husbandry has permitted the production of eggs and meat on a large scale, but the animal waste products may be extremely high in metals such as copper and zinc, as well as various organic compounds including certain phosphates that need to be disposed of as pollutants.
Accordingly, there is a need for a remedial composition and treatment method for soil, sand, water, fly ash and other mediums that may contain hazardous waste materials. There is an urgent need for a remedial composition for the economical and effective cleanup and containment of a broad spectrum of pollutants including hydrocarbons, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides and animal waste.